This year, we are strengthening our approach to oracy – the development of children’s speaking and listening skills – as part of our ongoing commitment to providing strong foundations for every child. This work aligns with the DfE’s Strong Foundations guidance, which highlights the vital role of high-quality talk in supporting children’s learning, confidence and overall communication skills. Oracy is much more than answering questions in class. It includes the ability to express ideas clearly, listen actively, explain thinking, discuss respectfully and take part in meaningful conversations. These skills support learning across the curriculum and help children become confident communicators beyond the classroom.
In lessons we use an approach called Philosophy for Children (or P4C for short); these are in-depth discussions around non-core subject areas such as RE, History, Geography and PSHE where a debate-style conversation may take place. Throughout our Literacy teaching we follow the Spoken Language guidance by Literacy Counts (our English Scheme of work).
This week, we have introduced our first oracy homework – we hope you have enjoyed the conversations this brought up at home! You can make a big difference by giving your child regular opportunities to talk – about their day, their opinions, the books they’re reading or the questions they are curious about. Everyday conversations help build the strong foundations that support successful learning.
